Life is complicated enough without emotions getting involved but part of being a human being is dealing with emotions and the granddaddy of all pain in the neck emotions is love. Love can be a pain in the neck because the emotions and feelings generated by love can be difficult to figure out, they can cause confusion, and they can cause problems when the feelings on both sides of a relationship do not match. Love can sometimes be companionate and sometimes love can be passionate and one of the most difficult things to figure out, and sometimes to also accept, is when you want love to be passionate but it is actually companionate. Companionate love is the love of a friend for another friend and is something that is just as treasured as passionate love but it can sometimes be difficult to understand what your own feelings really are not to mention trying to understand what the other person is feeling as well.

Companionate love has the potential to become passionate but many times there is a long period of evaluation by both sides to see where their emotions truly stand on the issue. Companionate love is just as important in a person’s life as passionate love and companionate love seems to be a little less difficult to evaluate for the average person. Sometimes when you get involved in a new relationship it is wise to enter that relationship with your mind open to any possibility. Companionate love is not a guarantee either and the emotional value of companionate love is just as valuable as passionate love but many times passionate love can be stronger if it develops and grows from companionate love or the feeling that you and your future significant other are good friends before you decide to take the relationship to the next level. There is a lot to be said for that age old notion of good friends making great lovers and it may be in your own emotional interest to follow that adage as you go through life and relationships.

Love at first sight is a difficult thing to justify. It is difficult to say that someone you just met possesses all of the traits you need in a significant other and that you know that right from the very beginning of the relationship. A relationship is a growing experience between two people and it does not matter if that relationship is at the acquaintance level, the friendship level, or escalates to a romantic relationship. People are complex beings and to say that you know everything you need to know about them to consider them proper romantic material after only your first meeting is a very risky proposition. Time can solidify any relationship but more important than just the simple passing of time is the experience of time spent together and it doesn’t matter if you are looking at a friendship or a romantic relationship. Experience is the best teacher and companionate love can certainly develop into romantic love over time but the notion that falling in love on the first meeting is potentially an invitation to disaster.

Younger people rely greatly on companionate love especially at the high school level where many young people begin to learn how to develop relationships for the first time. The enthusiasm of youth can also help cloud the line between companionate love and passionate live as well and some people would also call that cloudy line the chemical imbalance of youth. However you want to refer to it the fact is that many young people can easily confuse companionate love for passionate love and get themselves into a lot of trouble. With age comes experience and it is very difficult for people with very little life experience to be able to accurately distinguish companionate love from passionate love.